Apparatus for discharging ships&#39; guns.



No. 680,066. Patented Aug. 6,1901.

L. OBBY. APPARATUS FOR DISGHARGING SHIPS GUNS.

(Application filed Dec. 7, 1900.) (N0 Model.) 2 Sheets$haot /IZinesse.sfiavenioz" Jfiom oz/j imam? %@%//M v 55 4m No. 680,066. 'Patented Aug. 6, l90l.

' L. OBBY.

APPARATUS FOR DISGHARGING SHIPS GUNS.

(Application filed Dec. 7, 1900.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

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MW Q 05662 02 UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

"LUDWIG- BRY, or TRIEST, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.-

APPARATUS FOR DISCHARGING SHIPS GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 680,066, dated August 6, 1901.

Application filed December 7, 1900. Serial No. 39,088. No model.)

Tov all whom it may concern: -Be it known that I, LUDWIG OBRY, engineer,a citizen of the Empire of Austria-Hungary, residing at Triest, Austria-Hungary,

barrel or the lower haveinvented certainnew and useful Improvements in and Connected with Apparatus for Discharging Ships Guns,

of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements iri that type of apparatus for discharging ships guns described in specification belonging to Letters Patent No. 595,820, granted to the. As described in the said specification, the paratus whereby the automatic discharge of the ships gun is effected is fixed to thegunpart-of the gun-carriage, sothat the same will participate in the trainingi'ni'ovements" of the gun.

The. present invention has for its object to provide a device for fixing the apparatus described in the specification hereinbefore re- 'ferred to which will render the same reliable in action however-much the ship may careen and in-normal cases will replace the elevation device of .the gun. This fixing device ismounted on an axis parallel to the gun-- trunnion axis and may be turned independently of the same to a predetermined angle and when having been turned will remain rigidly connected with the gun-trunnio-ns, so that the device will oscillate synchronously with the gun-barrel.

In order that my invention may be more fully understood, I will now proceed to describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, marked with letters of reference indicating like parts in the various figures.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 show one form of my apparatus in which it maybe carried out fixed upon the part of the gun-carriage adapted to turn shown in three dilferent positions. Fig. 4. is a cross-section on the broken line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of the device arranged on a cradlelike gun-carriage. Fig. 6 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 5. Fig.

, 7 is a detail view-of a modification in which the axis of oscillation of the apparatus does not coincide with the gun trunnion axis. Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrams which explain the working of -the fixing device.

Referring to Fig. 1, to the bottom gun-carriage part c is secured a support r, at the upper end I) of which is pivotally suspended an arm a, theaxis of oscillation of which coincides with that of the gun-trunnion I when the gun is in its outer position. The arm a is pressed by a strong spring 3', fixed to the support r, to the right to' the position shown in Fig. 1, in which it is arrested by an abutment. The said arm carries a graduated sextant c, which is in the plane of oscillation ,i GITBOf and the center of which coincides -.with ,the axis b and on which to the left of '-the point 0 are marked the elevation-angles corresponding withthe various fire distances, up to two thousand or three thousand meters.) The point 0 is a certain angle m-say, of about thipty'tothirty-five degrees distant from the center line so of the arm a perpendicular on the plane of the table i.

" Upon the gun-trunnion h at the side next I to the support 1' is keyed an arm is, pointing downward, having a set-screwy and whose center line y 'ywhen the axis of the gun-barrel is in a perfectly horizontal position will also incline-to such an angle m at which the 'mark 0 of the sextant c is distant from the line as of the arm a. If the gun is moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 toward the firing position shown in Fig. 2, axis of oscillation b of the arm a coincides with that mathematical axis of the gun-trunnions h,'and the end of the set-screw 9 thus abuts against the arm a,

and when the axis of the gun-barrel is per fectly parallel with the water-line this arm a is thereby displaced until the mark Y on the arm is coincides with the point 0 on the sextant. Having regard to the equity of the angles m, the line 00 :1: in Fig. 2 must be vertical to the water-line and the table t, carriedby the arm a, horizontal or parallel to the wa ter-line. Upon the table 11 thus in a horizontal position is fixed by suitable clamp-screws the gun-discharging device in such a manner that the axis of oscillation of the horizontal ring at is perpendicular with the elevation 1 plane of the gun.

The manipulation and actionof the device are as follows: If it is desired to shoot a certain distance,afterhaving run outand trained the gun the latter is left undisturbed, while the arm a, carrying the apparatus M, when the set-screw g is turned back will be caused by its spring j to turn until the mark You the arm 70 points to the division-line of the sextant a corresponding with the target distance desired, the angle e thus being equal to the desired elevatiomanglc. While during this operation the arm f of the apparatus has i remained in its vertical position, (see Fig. 3,)

Fig. 1, which, however, does not vibrate the line war: has also been turned from the vertical position into the position as m to an angle e equal to the desired elevation-angle. When the ship rolls, the apparatus M makes contact when the line 01; m has approached the vertical to the extent of the angle 8, and as the gun-barrel oscillates synchronously with the apparatus the unelevated gun-barrel at that moment will form with the horizontal the-elevation-angle e, and the gun thus discharged at the right elevation without having used the elevation device. When the gun is run back, the springj causes the arm a to return again to the position shown in through the-firing, and when the gun is run out again will through the abutment of the screw 9 take up the position in which it has been during the previous shot.

9 the example described ignition by the apparatusM, it is essential that the rolling ,motion brings the line 41; w into the vertical po sition a: as, but which, however, necessitates that therolling motion is equal to or greater than the elevation-angle e. If the rolling motioniu of the boat (see Fig. 8)-2'. e., half the angle between the end positions p p of the perpendielep p 'is smaller than the elevation angle e given to the apparatus between the lines a: a; and w m, the apparatus will not be brought intothe ignition'position by the rolling motion of the ship. In this case thegun, and thereby the apparatus M, will be raised by the elevation-device (see dotted position, Fig. 8) until the apparatus will form contact, which takes place when the line 41; wis vertical'zl. e., when the gun-axis inclines-toward the horizontal the eitent of the elevation-angle e. The manipulation is the same when the ship (see, diagram Fig. 9)'oscillates laterally from the normal position of rest 19 19,so that thetsmallest deviation '0 of the end position 19 of the'pendnlum from the vertical 1) p is larger than the elevation-angle given to theapparatus between the lines 00 a: and w w, and therefore the latter would never get into the vertical through the rolling motion alone. Contact is formed by the lowering of the gun, and thereby the apparatus, by means of the gun-elevation device, Fig. 9. The cone tact, as previously, then takes place when riage.

the line :0 00 while elevating the gun passes- -verticali. e. the barrel forms with the horizontal the elevation-angle e.

In the diagram Fig. 5 the apparatus is shown fixed to a shielded cradle-like gun-car- As will be seen from this figure, the arm a, which, as previously described, carries the table 1', adapted for the reception of the apparatus, is in such a manner mounted on the inner side of the shield u that its center To cause in of oscillation coincides with the axis of the gun-trunnions 7L in cradle Ihe arm a is furnished, as previously described, with a graduated elevation-scale, on which plays the arm 70, keyed upon the trunnion h and furnished witha set-screw g. In fixing the apparatus the arm is so set that its points y coincide 'with the point 0 of the graduated elevationscale when the gun-barrel axis and the table 11 are horizontal.

Fig. 7 shows a modification wherein, according-to-the principle of the invention, the axis of'oscillation b of the arm a is parallel with, but does not coincide with, the trunnion-axis. In this case'the arm'a', which is parallel with thearm a, is connected thereto bya link in such manner that it will join the oscillation imparted to the arm a. The action of the apparatus remains obviously the same.

Having now'particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. An apparatus for discharging ships gu us by an electric contact made by a pointswinging with the ship and a point maintained in the absolute vertical, said apparatus being mounted on an axis, parallel withthe guntrunnion axis, and capable of being angularly set thereon relative .to the absolute vertical as may be required, and mea s forlocking it therewithto cause the apparatus topscillate synchronously with the gun-barrel in its elevation and depression, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus fordischargingshipsguns by an electric contact made by arpoint swinging with the ship and a point maintained in' the absolute vertical, said appairatus consist-- ing of an arm suspended on a pivot fixed with relation to the gnu-carriage and carrying the discharge apparatus, the suspension-axis of l es this arm, when the gun has been run out, co-

inciding with or parallel to the trunnion-axis of the gun, said arm being provided with a graduated elevation-scale, and an arm keyed upon the gun-barrel trunnion and furnished with a set-screw, all the parts being combined, and operating, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for discharging ships guns by an electric contact made by a point swinging with the ship and a point maintained in the absolute vertical, said apparatus being carried by an arm on a fixed pivot which coincides with the gun-trunnion axis,and means for varying the position of said arm, all the parts being combined, and operating substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing 

